I was inside the Cathedral of Palmanova and thinking that it was a big underwhelming. I know it isn’t supposed to be famous but I was probably expecting that the cathedral would be fancier. The church isn’t what got Palmanova in the UNESCO World Heritage site list, so I wouldn’t pay it too much mind. I went outside thinking that my visit was over when I saw a sign for a “presepe”. I had no idea what it was. The sign led me back inside the cathedral and it was only then then I noticed one of the highlights of a visit to an Italian cathedral in December – the presepe.

The presepe is a nativity scene usually at a church. I know I have seen a lot of these scenes and was even helping make them some time back. However, the one here at the Cathedral of Palmanova was different. The nativity scenes that I know of are usually just statues of the Holy Family, some shepherds and the three kings, along with some animals for good measure. That would be it. However, this is not the case here.

The figures here are tiny and the scene is a huge scene of a village. Upon closer inspection, you can see how finely made the individual figures were made. Some of the figures even move. On top of that the lighting was also dynamic that there was a day and night cycle. There are sound effects which go with the day and night cycle that you would hear village life when it is “daytime” and while it would be quiet when it is “nighttime”. The Holy Family would be in a more prominent location outside the village because, if you can recall, they didn’t have room at the inn. It was mesmerizing to watch the whole scene. It was an incredible display of Italian craftsmanship that I wasn’t expecting here.

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